Four months after the World Cup semifinal, these two meet again this Friday evening. This time, Croatia and England aren’t playing in Russia, but in Rijeka, a seaside city in west Croatia. The venue is Stadium Rujevica, where there won’t be any fans. This means that playing at home will not be a big advantage for Croatia. But, their players would definitely do well with some support, particularly because they’re feeling a bit down after getting demolished in the previous round of the Nations League, when Spain beat them 6:0.
Croatia
Croatia need to get back on the right track as soon as possible in order to remain in the League A of the UEFA Nations League. But, that won’t be easy, not just because all the teams in this league are tough but also because their confidence might be shaken after the disaster that happened in Spain.
The World Cup runner-ups came to Spain as slight underdogs, but not many people expected that they would get thrashed 6:0. Everything was going out of their favor in that match. Sure, they were unlucky on a few occasions, but the main reason why they lost heavily is that their players were dreadful.
To be fair, Croatia were without a few of their key men in that game. Subasic was out, Mandzukic was out, Strinic was out, and so on. And even Vrsaljko got injured during the match. The bad news is that the same guys are gonna miss the duel with England as well.
But, even without them Croatia are a good team. After all, they have Luka Modric in the team. Truth be told, he’s probably worried about his club’s performances, as Real Madrid have lost three out of previous four matches.
Croatia’s second-best player, Ivan Rakitic, on the other hand, has been playing very well for Barcelona. And the same goes for Chelsea’s Kovacic who’s been brilliant ever since he’s moved to London. Obviously, Croatia might not be as powerful as they were when they played against England last time, but they do have enough quality to perform much better than they did against Spain.
England
Same as Croatia, England also lost to Spain in the Nations League. But, their defeat was much less humiliating; the final score was 2:1 Spain. The Three Lions continue their campaign by traveling Croatia. They’re going to Rijeka probably believing that they can win all three points. After all, Croatia might still be in a knock-down after the game with Spain.
And it seems that Southgate has brought his best players with him to Croatia. Most of the guys who featured at the World Cup this summer are in the team. And they want a revenge for the defeat in the semifinal.
Possible Lineups
Croatia
Kalinic – Vida, Lovren, Jedvaj, Pivaric – Kovacic, Rakitic, Modric – Pjaca, Rebic, Kramaric
England
Pickford – Maguire, Stones, Gomez – Dier, Henderson, Barkley, Trippier, Sterling – Rashford, Kane
Croatia vs England Match Prediction
Nazi symbols and football don’t mix, so don’t draw swastikas on the pitch or your players will have to play in front of an empty stadium. On Friday evening, the fans won’t be allowed to support their players and the Three Lions may take advantage of that.
Croatia players are probably still very upset about the 6:0 defeat to Spain and I don’t think their confidence will be high enough to do well against England. Plus, England are coming with their best players, while Croatia are gonna miss a few of their key men.
Croatia vs England Betting Tips
- England @2.90 (Unibet)